


If There Were No Buffy

by daviderl



Series: Buffy the Vampire Series [7]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 06:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daviderl/pseuds/daviderl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the Season 6 Episodes "Bargaining" Parts 1 and 2, Willow brought Buffy back from the dead. But what if she didn't?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad News

**If There Were No Buffy**

 

**_Prologue:_ **

_Buffy sacrifices herself to save the world by diving off the platform to close the opening portal into Glory's hell dimension._

_The Scoobies - Willow, Xander, Anya, Spike and the Buffy-bot, spend the entire summer trying to contain the vampires and demons. But as successful as they are, there is a toll taken on all of them. Xander's stamina slowly dwindles as he patrols at night then goes to his construction job during the day. Anya would rather be in bed at night with Xander, and him_ not _spending  nights patrolling the many cemeteries in Sunnydale. Willow constantly has to assure Tara she is being careful and there is nothing for her to worry about; and almost daily she has to make repairs on the Buffy-bot._

 

**Chapter One**   
**Bad News**   


It was almost nine p.m.  As usual, Xander, Spike, Anya, Tara and Dawn were in the kitchen as two of them were getting ready to begin the night's patrol; Anya had opted not to go with them, again. Checking and double checking their supply of stakes and holy water, they were waiting for Willow to get off the phone. The Buffy-bot was standing patiently by the kitchen door, waiting to be told when to leave. But when Willow entered the kitchen it was obvious something was wrong. So wrong she was barely able to hold herself together.

"Will," Tara said, the first to see her. "What's the matter? Are you all right?"

"No," she said softly, shaking her head. "Oh, god. No!"

"What?" Xander exclaimed. "What is it?"

"It was Angel…." she started to say.

"He's dead?" Xander interrupted, hope in his voice.

"No!" Willow replied. "He called! He said—" Her voice faltered, then swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued. "He said Faith is dead. She's been killed…in prison!"

"My sweet lord," Xander said, stunned. "What happened?"

"Did some Big Bertha finally do her in?" Dawn asked.

"Was it a prison vamp, or demon? I hear they can be mighty ferocious," Anya said

"No. NO!" Willow countered. "It was none of that!"

"Sweetie," Tara said in a quiet voice, touching Willow's shoulder. "What was it?"

Willow shook her head sadly, then said, "Angel said she was shot. Shot through the head by a sniper. He said that goddamned Council had her killed!"

"What?" Xander exclaimed. "Had her killed? But why?"

"Because they found out that Buffy is dead. And with Faith in prison, they needed a Slayer."

"But why not just break her out?" Anya asked simply. "They do stuff like that all the time."

"Because they want a Slayer they can trust," Willow replied angrily. "One they can control."

"But how did they find out Buffy was..." Xander all but choked on his words. "…that Buffy's gone?"

Now the tears trickled down Willow's cheeks. "Because Giles told them. He thought the Council should know. I guess he thought they would get Faith out of prison somehow."

"Are you sure it was Giles who told them?" Spike spoke up at last.

Willow nodded. "Wesley talked to Quinton Travers himself. That's how Angel found out it was Giles. After the warden called Angel, he had Wesley call to tell the Council she'd been killed. But they already knew."

"Are you SURE it was the Council that had her killed?" Spike asked again.

"Who else?"

"But how could they do that?" Xander asked. "I thought in prison you were away from anyone looking, or shooting, into the place."

"Angel thinks it was done from a helicopter," Willow answered. "She was in the prison exercise yard when it happened."

"Now THAT just doesn't make any sense," he argued. "Nobody can shoot that good from a helicopter!"

"Angel said he thought there was some kind of mojo involved. He thinks somebody got hold of her hair, smuggled it out of the prison, and used it to enchant the bullet. So then it wouldn't matter how far away she was. They wouldn't even need see her. The bullet would go straight to her, and kill her. He said if they had used her blood or sweat, then she could have been hit anywhere – chest, arm, leg. So that's why he thinks they got her hair." Willow began to sob.

"Why are you crying?" Anya asked. "You hate Faith."

"I don't know. I guess it's because she was the last link -- Slayer link, to Buffy." Willow shrugged her shoulders, then buried her face into Tara's shoulder, who tenderly put her hand behind Willow's head, her fingers buried in her hair.

"So now what?" Dawn asked no one in particular. "You guys still going to patrol?"

"Of course we are, Little Bit," Spike replied. "The night's still full of nasties that need a good killin'."

"I wonder who the new Slayer will be," Anya said. "Do you think she'll come here?"

"I don't know, I guess she will," Willow replied, now having her emotions better under control.

"You know there's a Hellmouth underneath Cleveland," Tara said. "Maybe they will send her there. I mean, we – you guys, aren't doing so badly here."

"There are more than two of them, Love," Spike informed them. "Dozens of 'em. But just those two are active right now."

"It's impossible to say where they will send her," Willow told them. "Here, there, who knows?"

"If she comes here, will we know who she is?" Dawn asked.

"Will she look like me?" the Buffy-bot asked. "I'm very pretty."

"Probably not," Willow replied, answering both questions.

"It's getting very late," the Buffy-bot continued. "We need to patrol. The vampires need to be staked!"

"Gather up your goodies, children," Spike told them. "The bad guys are waiting for us."

Without another word, everyone but Tara, Anya and Dawn left through the back door for another night of trying to make the night just a little bit safer for the residents of Sunnydale.

 


	2. A Secret Known

**Chapter Two**

**A Secret Known**

"Do you want to spend the night?" Dawn asked Anya.

"Why yes. I most certainly would like to do that! Your deep and abiding concern for my safety on the Hellmouth at night is greatly appreciated. Thank you ever so much."

And without another word Anya climbed the stairs to the bedroom she and Xander used when spending the night -- Buffy's old room.

"Why do I even bother trying to be nice to her?" Dawn asked Tara angrily.

"Don't worry about her. It's just the way she is. She'll never change."

Dawn shrugged, her anger evaporating. "Probably not. You know, I think I could use a nice big bowl of ice cream. Care to join me?"

"Well, I don't know," Tara replied with some hesitation. "It's getting kind of late."

"I'm pretty sure I can find  chocolate syrup and some sprinkles somewhere. And I know we have bananas."

"You talked me into it."

A few minutes after they had constructed two homemade banana splits, Dawn brought up the subject she had been wanting to all summer, but had been afraid to.

"Umm, Tara?"

"What is it?"

"I was wondering something. I know I'm not supposed to know about this, and I don't want you to get mad or anything, but … whatever happened to Willow's plan to bring Buffy back from the dead?"

Tara dropped her spoon, stunned that Dawn had any idea they all had been discussing that very subject not long after Buffy dove into the portal. But when the spoon hit the floor with a discordant clanging, she was jerked back to reality.

"Dawny! How did you know…?"

"I can't believe you guys think I'm so dumb I don't know what happens in my very own house. I know a LOT of what goes on around here!"

"Like what, for instance?"

"Like there's no way you're going to change the subject. I know Willow said she thought she could do it. So I want to know why she hasn't done it."

"It's -- complicated."

"Oh no! Don't even try it. We both know that's just adult code for 'You don't need to know and I don't want to talk about it.' "

Tara still didn't say anything, trying to decide just how much to tell her. Finally she said, "We almost tried. We actually started talking about it less than a week after she – after she left us. Willow was sure she could do if only she could find the right spell, and could get the right ingredients."

"Did Giles know about it?"

"Oh, lord, no! We all knew exactly how he would – what he would say. We kept it from him just like we did from you. Even Spike didn't know."

"So what happened? When did you try it?"

"We actually didn't get to the trying part." Tara paused, taking a breath. "Thanks to Anya we finally got almost all the ingredients, and Willow found the spell in one of Giles' forbidden volumes. The day we went to the airport to see Giles off for England, Anya was able to get her hands on the very last Urn of Osiris. She found it on eBay."

"So why didn't you do the spell?"

"Because there was one last ingredient Willow had to get. But she couldn't do it."

"What was it?"

"The – the blood of a newborn fawn. She needed it as part of the offering to Osiris. And as much as she wanted Buffy to come back, she couldn't kill the baby deer. She said she had one hand on the deer's back, the knife in her other hand, ready to strike, but just couldn't bring herself to do it."

Dawn got a bitter, angry look on her face. "So Buffy gets to spend the rest of eternity in agony, being tortured in some godforsaken hell dimension? Well, that's great. That's just freakin' great! It's really nice to know just how much you really love her!"

Before Tara could say anything more, Dawn ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and slammed the door to her bedroom as hard as she could. A few seconds later Tara heard a muffled Anya shout out from the other bedroom: "Hey! Some people are trying to sleep here, you know!"

 


	3. No Good Night for Slaying

**Chapter Three**

**No Good Night for Slaying**

Tara thought about going up to try to console her, but knowing Dawn, and her moods, she knew it was a hopeless task. Instead, she finished eating the bananas, rinsed the ice cream down the drain and stacked the bowls in the sink. She then went into the living room to wait for them to return. Sometimes they came in through the front door, when it was a good night – vampires and demons were killed with ease and they were in a good mood. But when things didn't go so well, when they had to fight for their lives, or someone got hurt, the always came in through the kitchen door, as if trying avoid being seen. Tonight Tara hoped it would be through the front door.

Tara didn't know what time it was when she heard them come in the back door, but she knew it was late. But when she walked into the kitchen her mild concern turned into shock and anguish. They all were wounded and splattered with blood. Willow's forehead had a large gash going from just above her left eye up past her hairline into her hair. Blood was around her eye and covering half her face to her chin. She had scrapes and bruises on both arms with blood staining both hands.

But Xander was even in worse shape. His shirt was off and was being used as a sling where his right shoulder had been dislocated and was badly swollen. He had cuts and slashes over his chest and back. Blood and dirt was matted in his hair, and blood was soaked into both the front and back of his pants. There was blood on his face but his right eye was blackened so Tara couldn't tell where the blood came from.

The Buffy-bot had been partially scalped on the left side of her head, the flap of hair hanging down past her shoulder, the stainless steel dome of her head was shining brightly. She was limping, dragging her right leg, and her right arm dangling loose at her side.

"Oh my god!" Tara exclaimed. "What the hell happened?"

"Later," Willow said curtly. "We need to take care of Xander. Get some ice from the freezer, wrap it in a dish towel and crush it up. He needs the cold to stop the swelling."

"But you're bleeding," Tara protested.

"I’m fine!" Willow yelled at her. "Xander first!"

Tara immediately did as Willow demanded. And as soon as the ice pack was against his shoulder, she wet another towel and began to administer to Xander's other injuries along with Willow. Only when Xander was patched up did Willow allow her own cuts and scrapes to be taken care of. No one spoke until all the wounds were taken care of.

"So, what happened?" Tara asked.

"It was a -- I don't even know the name of it, a demon Buffy encountered back when we were in high school. Its blood got on her, caused a rash, and Giles said something about her being infected with the aspect of the demon. He thought she might get some of its – parts."

"That's right, I remember," Xander interrupted, laughing at the memory through his pain. "Dawn kept asking Buffy if she was seeing horns, or spines, or a tail growing out of her." Then he stopped, sobering up. "But she didn't," he said, realizing it was just one more false memory the monks had implanted in everyone.

"No, she didn't," Willow answered. "Anyway, these demons communicate telepathically. And I guess as a defensive thing, it sent a telepathic blast of some kind at us that scrambled our thoughts and OUR defenses. Then it attacked. Only the Buffy-bot was unaffected and if it hadn't been for her, we all might have been killed. Somehow she was able fight it off enough to make it run away.  Luckily we didn't get any of its blood on us since none of us wounded it. It even did a number on Spike. "

"Where is he?" Tara asked.

"He went back to his crypt to lick his wounds," Xander said, then added in a tired voice. "You know, I think I'd really like to go to bed now, and sleep for a couple of days."

"Oh, of course. Tara come on, let's get him upstairs."

Both women helped Xander up the stairs to the bedroom, being careful not to awaken Anya, knowing she would raise holy hell at all of them for allowing Xander to get hurt.

When they went back to the kitchen the Buffy-bot was still standing by the counter. Willow shook her head. "I'm really getting tired of having to repair her night after night. I think all the damage she's been getting is affecting her. Her balance is off, her agility isn't so good any more, even her strength doesn't seem the same. I'm not sure how much more she can take. Maybe I ought to just let Spike have her."

Tara was silent for a few moments, then softly said, "Will, I know I said I thought you guys were doing all right, and I know you don't want to hear this, and I can't believe I'm even saying it, but maybe it's a good thing there's going to be a new Slayer. We can't keep going like this; you know we can't. Even with your magic, we're not equipped for this. Look at how bad things are getting. Is it really worth it – all of you going out night after night, never knowing if you'll come back in one piece, or at all?"

Willow closed her eyes as if trying to shut out what she knew in her heart of hearts was true. She slowly shook her head, then reached out for Tara, who took her into her arms, then guided her back up the stairs to their bedroom.

For most of an hour the Buffy-bot stood patiently waiting for Willow to repair her. Then she made it over to the kitchen light switch, turned it off, set her internal gyroscopes to automatic so she wouldn't fall over, then powered herself down.

 


	4. Rupert Returns

**Chapter Four**

**Rupert Returns**

It was late, almost noon, before anyone got up. Dawn was the first, and as soon as she went into the kitchen she knew it had been a bad night – bloody dish towels were still on the kitchen counter and in the sink. Empty packs of bandages hadn't been thrown away, and the well-used box of first aid supplies hadn't been put up. The bottle of antiseptic was still open, and the Buffy-bot was standing by the light switch, looking like she was ready for the scrap heap.

Dawn slowly went to the Buffy-bot and tried to put the flap of scalp back up on her head, but there was nothing to hold it in place, then for the hundredth time Dawn put her arms around the robot, her tears squeezing out from closed eyelids.

"Buffy," she whispered into the Buffy-bot's ear, "Come back to me. Please?"

Dawn stood there with her arms around the robot until she heard the upstairs toilet flush, then she hurriedly began to act as if she'd just started cleaning up the mess.

"Let me do that," Tara said. "You don't need to."

"What happened last night? Who got hurt?"

"They all did. A telepathic demon scrambled their thoughts and was able to beat them up, all except the Buffy-bot. Willow said she was the one who drove it off."

"Maybe if you guys had brought Buffy back...." Dawn started to say but stopped when Willow came into the room.

"What about Buffy?" she asked.

"I – I was just saying the Buffy-bot looks kind of beat up. Is she going to be okay?"

"I don't know. I guess I can fix her, again. But it's getting harder and harder to find parts. Some of them are so specialized."

"What about that Warren guy?" Tara asked. "Maybe he knows where to get more parts."

"Maybe, if we knew where he was."

Suddenly from upstairs they could hear Anya angrily yelling. They couldn't hear exactly what she was saying, but it was obvious she had just seen Xander's wounds. It wasn't long before Xander came downstairs, Anya right behind him, her voice becoming louder and her words becoming understandable.

"How many times am I going to have to see you all beat up? Do you have some kind of death wish? Why can't you just go to work like normal people? You don't owe them anything! What about ME? Don't you think this affects me? Do you think I like seeing you bloody and…?"

At this point they were in the kitchen and Anya turned her anger on Willow.

"And YOU! How could you let this happen to him? I thought he was supposed to be your best friend! But look at him!"

At this point Willow had had enough and with an angry wave of her hand Anya was silenced – no sound came from her still moving mouth.

"Willow!" Xander exclaimed, and Willow waved her hand again. But Anya had stopped her tirade, momentarily. But before she could start up again, the front door bell rang, insistently.

"Look what you've done!" Anya accused Willow. "Now the neighbors are here."

Willow gave Anya a confused look then headed for the front door, the others following as the bell continued to ring. But when she opened the door, her emotions took another turn.

"Giles!" she said.

Standing on the porch was Buffy's former Watcher. And with him were two young girls -  identical twins, looking to be barely in their teens. Both were almost too thin, with very pale skin, light blue eyes, and platinum blond hair, as if they were albinos. They were wearing unadorned, off-white colored dresses that went past their knees. And they were tall for their ages, over five feet, six inches.

"Hello, Willow," he said. But before he could introduce the others, Dawn was through the door and threw her arms around his waist, holding him as tightly as she could.

"I missed you," she said into his tweed coat. "So much."

"I missed you, too," he replied softly. Then gently prying her arms from around him, he stepped back and said, "Everyone, I'd like to introduce Mary and Marie Munn."

"Th - they're the new Slayers?" Tara asked, beating everyone else to the punch.

"Yes, they are. May we come in?"

As they went into the living room, Giles couldn't help but notice all the injuries.

"I take it last night's patrol didn't go well? Were there any serious injuries?"

"We'll live," Willow told him. "But no, the night didn't go well at all."

"How could you do it?" Xander asked angrily. "How could you let the council know Buffy was dead, knowing they would kill Faith – for them!" He finished his sentence with an accusing finger pointed at the twins.

"Believe me, I had no idea they would have her killed. I must confess I failed to gauge the extent of their dissatisfaction with Faith. But from the looks of all of you, it's evident a Slayer is badly needed here."

"That's the truth!" Anya said vehemently. "And it's about damned time!"

"How come there are two of them?" Dawn asked. "I thought just one was chosen at a time."

"Well, I have to admit it is very much unprecedented. But it obviously has something to do with the fact they're identical twins. Perhaps it has happened sometime in the past. But if that is the case, there are no records of it in any of the Watchers' diaries."

"Why are you their Watcher?" Willow asked. "I thought new Slayers got new Watchers."

"Because of my familiarity with this Hellmouth. Something is coming, something – bad."

"So, what's the big deal?" Xander said. "Something bad's always coming, if it's not already here."

"This time it's worse..."

"…than you can imagine." Mary and Marie said in soft, high-pitched voices.

 


	5. Slayers Two

**Chapter Five  
Slayers Two**

After most everyone was seated, Anya said, "Well, it's time to go. Now that the Slayers are here, no need for us to hang around." She was tugging at Xander's good arm, trying to get him to leave with her.

"You are Anyanka…"

"…the Vengeance Demon."

Anya didn't know which twin to look at, so she shifted her eyes back and forth.

"It's just Anya. Anya Christina Emmanuela Jenkins, soon to be Harris. Haven't been in the vengeance business for a while now.  Okay, Sweetie, time to go for real."

Xander allowed himself to be pulled through the front door, across the porch, down the stairs to the driveway where his car was parked. They left with Anya driving.

"Do you always finish each other's sentences?" Dawn asked.

"Sometimes…"

"…not always."

All this time Willow was carefully watching them. Despite their height and slenderness, or perhaps because of it, they were both delicate looking. But if they were Slayers, she knew their strength belied their looks. Giles was sitting in the overstuffed easy chair, and Mary and Marie were standing on either side of him, almost as if they were guarding him.

"So, just what kind of evil are you talking about?" Tara asked. "Something coming up out of the Hellmouth?"

"Well, it's not that easy to put a definite finger on it," Giles answered cautiously, as if he was reluctant to reveal too much too soon.

"That doesn't give us much to go on," Willow said. "How are we supposed to fight this 'thing' if we don't know anything about it?"

"Fighting it isn't your job…"

"…it is ours."

Willow allowed the ever so faint tendrils of her mind to barely make contact with the psychic auras of Mary and Marie. She felt their connection with each other – it was almost as if two bodies were sharing one consciousness, and she then understood why there were two of them. Unprecedented, indeed!

"As I was saying," Giles continued. "This evil is marshaling its – evilness. It will take some time before it is at full strength, which is why we have come here, to the Hellmouth, to try to stop it before it is at its peak."

"So if only the platinum twins are going to do all the fighting, then why are you here, in our house?" Dawn asked.

"This is a – courtesy call, if you will. I thought it important that you meet. But as you can see, your patrolling duties are no longer needed. You can resume your normal day-to-day lives."

"What about Spike? Are you going to let them meet him?" Dawn asked.

"Spike…"

"…William the Bloody."

"He is no threat to us, but he is a vampire…"

"…he should be put down regardless."

"The hell you say!" Dawn shot back. "Willow! Tara! You can't let them do that!"

"Don't worry, Dawn. It won't happen. Will it?" Willow was looking hard at Giles.

"Well, we'll have to see how things play out."

"I th-think it's time for you to leave. Everyone's m-met everyone," Tara spoke up. Willow looked curiously at her. Usually she was Giles' biggest supporter, but she liked what she heard.

Giles stood up and walked to the door, followed by Mary and Marie, then turning he said, "It was nice to see all of you again. Stay safe."

 


	6. Suspicions

**Chapter Six  
Suspicions**

The front door hadn't even closed and Dawn was in the kitchen dialing Xander's home phone. "Come on! Come on! Pick it up, already!"

She waited a half a minute, hung up and called again, and still got no answer.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked.

"Trying to call Xander. He needs to go get Spike before those bleach-blond Slayer bitches get to his crypt and kill him. Why the hell don't they have a cell phone!"

"Well, I can assure you their hair isn't bleached. Not sure about that other description, yet. But don't worry, I sent Xander a telepathic message to get Spike and bring him back here."

Dawn threw her arms around Willow's neck. "Thank you, so much. After him being here all summer, I've gotten used to him being around, you know?"

"I know. And I know there's no way I'm going to let the Slayer twins do anything to him."

"Hey, you two," Tara said as she joined them. "Quite the trio aren't they?"

"Trio?" Willow said.

"You didn't feel it? Something about them is – not quite right."

"I did do a quick touchy-feely around their auras, and could tell how connected their consciousness is. It's almost like they're one person in two bodies."

"I kind of got that too," Tara said. "But I thinks there's more. I can't explain it, but I just felt they have some kind of connection with Mr. Giles as well."

"You guys didn't sense the same thing?" Dawn asked. "But you're both witches."

"Well, it's like – gymnastics," Willow tried to explain. "Some like the floor exercises. They have balance, and rhythm, and coordination, and—" Willow looked at Tara, smiling lovingly. "-- there's real beauty in what they do."

"But some like the uneven bars," Tara said, continuing the analogy, and returning Willow's loving smile. "Not only is there beauty, but they also have poise, and agility, and strength."

"So that one's stronger?"

"Not really," Willow replied. "They all have strength. It's just that you can't really see it. But it's there, trust me."

Just then they heard a car's horn sounding from out front. It was Xander bringing Spike. Dawn grabbed the old, heavy, dark olive green Army surplus tarp to put over Spike to keep him from burning up in the afternoon sun, and went to the car.

"Dawn's gotten quite attached to Spike," Tara noted.

"Yes she has," Willow agreed. "There was a time when she had this huge crush on Xander. But since Anya, his attention has been more on her and less on Dawn. I guess Spike has become almost like a father figure to her. Or maybe more like a big brother."

"He has been good to her. Do you think it's because of Buffy?"

"It might have started out that way, but now I think he truly cares for her."

The two witches stood aside to let the tarp covered Spike, helped by Dawn, to get onto the porch out of the sun, then into the house.

"When is someone going to wash this bloody thing?" he asked as he threw off the tarp. "It smells worse than a regurgitating Frovlax demon."

"You're the one who uses it," Willow replied. "It will give you something to do while you're hiding from the Slayer twins."

"Yeah, Xander was telling me about them. What's up with that?  Do the Powers think there should be two Slayers, again?"

"Don't know. I probed around their auras, and it was like one soul in two bodies."

"And I think Mr. Giles is connected with them somehow," Tara added.

"It's this bloody Hellmouth! Always gumming up the works," Spike exclaimed, half serious and half joking.

"Okay," Xander interrupted. "Everyone's safe. Anya's waiting. Shoulder's killing me. I'll be off."

"Thanks," Willow replied, with a half hug. "You drive safe and we'll call you if there's anything to report. Take care of that arm."

Xander nodded then headed back to his car.

"I'll make up the bed in the cellar," Dawn volunteered. "That way you won't have to worry about the sun. And if _those two_ come back, you'll be out of sight."

"Thanks, Little Bit. Give me and the adults some time to hash out this new Slayer thing."

After Dawn left there was a momentary silence as each waited for the other to start.

"Well, I think someone should go out tonight and keep an eye on those two," Spike finally said.

"Might not be a bad idea," Willow agreed. "But we need to keep a very low profile, you know? Stay WAY out of sight. There's no telling what kind of powers they have."

"What powers would they have?" Dawn asked. "Other than the usual Slayer powers." When she saw the others looking at her, she added, "The clean sheets are up here in the hall closet."

"That's what we need to find out," Willow answered. "But you don't shouldn't be concerned about this."

"Why not? Besides, I'll find it out anyway."

"She will," Tara agreed. "She knows more than we know she knows. And she isn't little Dawny anymore. I think she should be included."

"Thank you, Tara," Dawn said with a smug smile. Then she turned to Willow. "Now, you were saying?"

With a deep breath Willow continued, "As I was saying, there is more to them than just being Slayers. I just have – suspicions about them. Call it a gut feeling, or witch's intuition."

"I’m with Red," Spike chimed in. "The more we know about them, the safer we'll be. I'll follow them for a while, see how they handle things."

"Maybe we should both go. Just in case. They did say you should be killed. 'Put down' I believe were their exact words. You can protect me and I can protect you."

"It's too bad you don't know where they're staying. You could follow them right away instead of having to find them," Dawn said, stating the obvious.

"Little Bit's got a point. Any way to find out where they are?"

"Maybe some kind of locator spell. Tara, any ideas?" Willow asked.

"Yes, I think I may know one or two that might work. But – don't you think maybe we ought to be worrying about this Big Evil they said was coming?"

"Oh, Tara! You're right! I was so worried about these new Slayers, and what you said about  Giles, I completely forgot about that."

"But we still should keep track of them," Spike said. "Maybe we can learn something about the evil."

"So I guess we need to do some real brainstorming," Willow concluded.

"Uh, guys?" Dawn said in an unsure voice.

"Not now, Dawny," Willow cut her off. "We have things we need to concentrate on."

"But this might be important. I think it's important."

In an impatient voice, Willow said, "Alright. What is it?"

"Well, after hearing everything you all are so worried about – Marty and Marian, and maybe Mr. Giles, and this new Big Bad that's coming, and seeing that this is the Hellmouth…."

"What IS it, Dawn! Please get to the point!"

"What if this evil Evil is, are, really the twins, and they have Mr. Giles under their spell or whatever."

Everyone looked at each other, realizing this was something none had thought about. Then Tara said, "It's Mary and Marie. And you're right – it IS something we should consider."

"All the more reason to keep an eye on them," Spike said. "And the sooner the better."

 


	7. Plans of Action

**Chapter Seven**

**Plans of Action**

 

"Tara, why don't you look for that locator spell? Spike, I know you don't think you need anything, but if you're going out Slayer hunting tonight, I'd feel a whole lot better if you took a weapon or two with you. Something not deadly, but defensive."

"I'll see what I can find. Dawn, care to help me?"

"Sure!"

"In the meantime," Willow continued, "I'm going to give Angel a call. I think it would be a good idea if he gets Wesley to call the Council to see if these Slayers are really real, and if Giles is supposed to be with them."

After a few minutes Spike and Dawn came back into the kitchen, weaponless. Willow was just hanging up the phone. "Wesley said he'd call. It's around ten o'clock at night there, but there should still be somebody to answer the phone. So, where are the weapons?"

"Not exactly sure what you meant about defensive weapons," Spike said. "All you have are swords, axes, stakes and daggers. And Holy Water – which is pretty much useless against Slayers."

"Well, maybe I can cook up some kind of protection spell. Not too many of them for vampires, but maybe I can work around one."

"A protection spell!" Dawn exclaimed. "Then that means I can go to?"

"No Dawn, it doesn't mean that at all. Protection spells are very person-specific. You don't just come up with one Willy-Nilly."

"Willow, I promise you – neither Willy nor Nilly will be anywhere around tonight."

"You sound more like Buffy all the time."

"So you'll let me go?"

"I'll have to think about it. Now you go fix up the basement like you said you would."

"Come on, Spike," Dawn said, dragging him toward the stairs. "We'll make this better than any crypt you've ever lived in."

Tara had come into the kitchen toward the end of the conversation. "So you're not going to let her know?"

"Heck no, I'm not! I want her to be safe, not reckless. Do you have any idea what kind of chances she'd take if she knew I already charmed Buffy's cross and necklace she's wearing?"

"Oh, I can imagine. But look what I found."

Tara had her index fingers and thumbs of both hands together, about a foot apart; she was holding an almost invisible platinum strand of hair.

"I found it on the back of the chair Mr. Giles was sitting in."

"Good! So why don't you find the locator spell while I'm waiting for Wesley to call."

"I'll start looking in your books."

Just then the phone rang and Willow answered it.

"Hello…Oh, hey Cordy…I thought maybe Wesley or Angel... All of them? Must be some big ol' demon nest for sure…Did you hear anything about?… Oh. How come?... Oh yeah, that was on the news. It's that bad, huh?... Nothing at all? Wow… So you'll let us know just as soon as you hear something?... Good … Oh, by the way, you know we never get to talk or anything, and I was just wondering about you and Wesley – any old sparkage there, or new?... Oh. Well. That's good. It's good to have friends …Yeah … Umm, I know you didn't ask, but Xander is really doing okay. He and Anya are living together. They're kind of talking about getting married ... Oh, you did know. Okay. Well call us…Okay. 'Bye."

"Nothing?"

"No. It's that freaky blizzard that hit everybody over there last night. All the power lines are down from the wind and the ice. Even the cell towers are iced over. Nobody can call in or out. But Cordelia said she'd call us just as soon as she heard anything."

"What were you saying about her and Wesley? Are they together?"

"No, she said they were just friends. But back in high school they seemed like they might get all snuggley wuggley. But then all of a sudden – they didn't. We never did know what didn't happen. Of course at the time we were more concerned with the mayor ascending into a giant snake demon and eating everybody."

"I'll look for the locator spell."

"And I guess I'll do two protection spells. If I don't I have a feeling Dawn will be going out of Buffy's bedroom window – again."

By eight thirty Spike and Dawn were back in the kitchen. Spike had a couple of stakes and two bottles Holy Water, just in case. Willow handed him a small wooden cross wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap to keep from burning his hands. She handed Dawn a small leather sac that smelled of Patchouli.

"And just what is this sodding cross supposed to do?"

"It's part of the protection spell. The thing you fear the most is what will protect you."

"Is that why I've got this stinky bag?" Dawn asked. "You know I hate the way this stuff smells."

"Well, if you don't want it, you can always stay here."

"You know, it's really not so bad – once you get used to the stink, I mean the smell."

"I thought so. Spike, the protection spell will wear off in a few hours. It's hard to make one for vampires that will last."

"What about mine?" Dawn asked. "How long will it last?"

"About the same. Also, Dawn, you should know it only works for supernatural protection. If a vampire or demon hits you or tries to grab you…."

"He'll explode?" Dawn cut in, grinning.

"No. He'll be expelled backward away from you. Giving you the chance to RUN AWAY!"

"But if he picks up a rock and throws it at you, it will hurt," Tara added.

"Now you two are starting to sound like the M twins," Dawn retorted.

"And one last thing," Willow continued. "Every time the spell is used, it gets weaker – less effective, so don't think you'll be invulnerable forever."

"Okay."

"And here's this."

Willow handed Dawn a clear crystal with the strand of platinum hair wrapped and tied around it.

"Once you guys get outside where it's dark you will see it's glowing dark green. The closer you get to them the brighter it gets. But if it turns bright white you'll be as close to them as we are right now."

"Then we should be off," Spike said.

"Be careful!" Willow warned.  "Don't take any chances, and DON'T do anything stupid!"

"No, Mother, I won't," Dawn said over her shoulder as she followed Spike out of the back door.

"She'll be fine," Tara assured her. "Spike will protect her."

"I know," Willow said softly as she closed the door.

 


	8. Talking of Slayers

**Chapter Eight**

**Talking of Slayers**

Just as soon as the back door closed on Spike and Dawn, the crystal took on a deep, dark green color. By the time they were on the front sidewalk, it had brightened just a bit. Dawn move in a semicircle, her hand out in front of her, until the stone brightened even more.

"This way," she said, and started in the direction indicated, with Spike looking out for trouble. Several times they had to change direction, telling them the Slayer twins were already on the move. After a while their destination was evident.

"Looks like they're at the Restfield Cemetery," Dawn surmised. "Good a place as any to start patrolling."

"Just so long as they stay away from the SunnyD Cemetery. My crypt's still full of goodies."

"Spike, I hate to tell you this, but eventually they'll get to all of them. Does Giles know where it is?"

"Yeah, he does. After all the fun we had when that Ethan bloke changed him into a Fyarl demon, he came by the crypt to pay me off."

"Well, maybe he won't tell them which crypt it is. Or maybe they'll be too busy to care, what with this new big evil that's coming."

"Maybe."

The closer to Restfield they got the more cautious they became. By the time they reached the waist-high stone fence surrounding it, they were being overly cautious – not wanting to be seen, but still wanting to find them. After a few minutes scouting as much of the cemetery they could see, the sounds of fighting started.

"This way," Spike whispered as he took the lead.

Dawn put the crystal in her pocket to keep it's brightness from giving them away. It wasn't long before they found where the action was. Both Slayers were battling two vampires. But rather than one on one, they seemed to switch off regularly, confusing their opponents. But it looked more like a dance than a fight. Each Slayer moved as if they were in a ballet – graceful in their turns, spins, kicks and leg sweeps.

Unlike Buffy, neither one threw any punches, yet their arms were always in motion, balancing and counterbalancing their fluid movements until all of a sudden long, thin spikes appeared, then were buried into the dead hearts of the vampires simultaneously.

Both Dawn and Spike froze. Mary and Marie were scanning the area, as if they knew they were being watched. But after a minute, satisfied they were alone, they continued toward the north end of the cemetery, and the main entrance. The watchful pair waited until they were out of sight, then Dawn took out the crystal to use it to track them while staying far enough behind to avoid being seen.

One more vampire was encountered, but the solitary female bloodsucker was dispatched quickly. Dawn and Spike arrived only moments before she was turned to dust with one of the slender, wooden spikes. Again, they waited until the twins were out of sight before they followed after in the direction of Cooper's Cemetery and Mausoleum a quarter mile away.

"I don't know about you," Dawn said, speaking in a normal voice, "but their Slaying technique is about as graceful as any dance I've ever seen – modern, ballet…."

"Yeah," Spike grudgingly agreed, "they do have the fancy footwork."

"And their coordination! It was like they could read each other's minds and knew just what the other was going to do."

"Well, Willow did say they were like one person. Kinda like to see how they'd handle a six hundred pound Chirago demon."

"Yeah, whatever that is. Or Adam."

Spike chuckled. "No way they could take the likes of him, two of them or not. Have to give it to the Scoobies, teaming up all mystical with the Slayer was ingenious. And probably the only way to kill him."

"And did you see what they were wearing? Was it a full-body leotard? Cool boots, though. And where did they hide those long skinny stakes? You know what they looked like?"

Spike just let her talk, knowing it was relieving her stress.

"You know those pool tables they sell for kids? They looked like the tiny pool cues that come with them."

"Not much farther now. Crystal still glowing?"

Dawn opened her hand to look at it, it was moderately bright, but still dim enough to let them know they were still a ways off.

"Spike, do you – do you think Buffy's suffering much in that hell dimension?"

"I try not to think about that. Not good for my not-soul."

"But what if there was some way to bring Buffy back? Like some kind of resurrection spell."

"Dawn, as much as I hate to think about what Buffy's going through, and as much as I want her to come back, I'd just as soon not have a zombie Slayer walking around, or something worse."

"Would that be worse than what she's going through? And don't you want her here? Really here?"

Spike stopped. "Okay, what's with all this?"

"Nothing. Just forget it."

Dawn started walking again but Spike grabbed her arm, stopping her, not hard enough to trigger his chip, or to activate the protection spell, but hard enough to let her know he was serious.

"You know something," he said. "And whatever it is, you're going to tell me."

"It – it's nothing. It's just something I heard Willow and Tara and the others talking about."

"And just what might that be?"

"They –- were talking about trying to bring Buffy back, using magic."

"What! Are they sodding insane?"

"But they didn't do it! There was one ingredient they didn't have."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I’m sure. But I don't see understand what the big deal is? Willow's a great witch. She knows what she's doing."

"Let me tell you something, Little Girl. There are spells, and then there are SPELLS. Small stuff like this…" and Spike held out the charmed cross wrapped in plastic. "…is next to nothing. Anybody can do it with the right words, and the right ingredients, as you put it. But then there are the Big Spells, like restoring somebody's soul, or bringing back the dead. The ones that can go wrong if a single word is mispronounced, or if the wrong incense is used, or if…."

"Okay! I get it, already," Dawn said, tired of the lecture, as she resumed the walk to Cooper's Cemetery.

"I don't think you do," Spike continued, following behind her. "And even if things do go right, there are always consequences, things that you don't expect to happen. Bad things!"

"I said okay!" Dawn all but yelled back at him. "Wait!"

"What now?"

"The crystal – it's stopped glowing."

"Did the spell wear off?"

"I don't know. I don't think it did."

Dawn put her hand out in front of her again, moving her arm left and right, but the crystal remained dark.

"I guess they're gone, or out of range maybe."

"Well, that's just great. So now I guess we head back to your house," Spike said. "Oh well, it wasn't a total loss. At least we know how they fight."

"Yeah, there's that. Come on." 


	9. Saint Buffy Day

 

**Chapter Nine**

**Saint Buffy Day**

Right after Dawn and Spike left, Willow walked over to the Buffy-bot and looked her up and down, surveying the damage.  "I don't know whether to try to fix her up – again, or just keep her turned off and dump her down in the cellar. I mean – the Slayers ARE on the job."

Willow took the flap of hair and scalp and placed back in place on the shiny dome, then let it fall. She shook her head sadly.

"Umm, Will, I think you need to fix her up, at least one more time."

"Why?"

"Don't you know what Monday is? It's the first day of school for Dawny. And they're expecting a parent or guardian to show up."

"Well, I was thinking about just doing a Glamor to look like Buffy."

"Do you really think you can keep it going the whole day?"

"I can try."

"But don't forget, Monday we have to be at college to sign up for our fall classes."

"Oh, god! That Monday? Already?"

Tara nodded. "Unless you're planning on dropping out."

"Oh no! I'd never do that. Crap! Guess I'll do what I can to fix what I can."

Willow put the hair back in place, trying to figure how to keep it there. "I guess I can glue it to the head," she said mostly to herself. "Tara, do we have any glue anywhere. The good stuff?"

"I can check Dawn's room. I think she was using it for something last week."

While Tara went upstairs, Willow began to examine the damaged right hip. After deciding what she had to do to repair the joint, she reactivated the robot.

"Buffy-bot, I need you to take your pants off so I can see what's wrong with your hip."

"Okay, Willow. Are you going to fix me up again? I was badly damaged fighting that demon."

"Yes, I know."

Using her left hand, the bot unfastened the belt and snap of her jeans and unzipped them. Willow tugged down them to her ankles, and saw that the bot wasn't wearing any underwear, and that she was anatomically correct – just as Spike had Warren make her. There was a discolored bulge on the outside of the hip, and something was barely penetrating the edge of her right buttock from the inside.

Just then Tara returned with contact cement.

"Oh," she said when she saw the pants-less robot. "D-did you shave the Buffy-bot – down there?"

"No. Just one of the Spike's little construction requirements. I guess he thinks it's sexy."

"Can you fix her?"

"Maybe. I'm going to have to cut into the shoulder and the hip to see just what kind of damage there is."

Willow had the Buffy-bot strip completely, had her hop on her good leg up on the kitchen counter, then lay  down. And using the scalpel from the first aid chest, began to carefully cut through the outer layers of the hip. But when the bot began to twitch, she ordered her to power down.

"I would have thought her breasts would have been bigger," Tara commented. "Guys like big breasts, don't they?"

"Yeah, I guess some guys do. But I imagine Spike wanted her to look as much like Buffy as possible."

"You know," Tara said, "we're going to have to tell her what not to talk about when she goes to Dawn's school."

"Oh, I know. I've already got a long list in my head."

After some poking and probing, Willow asked for a flashlight, then had Tara get a screwdriver and pair of pliers from the tool box.

"I don't think anything's really broken, it just looks like some stuff got knocked loose. There seems to be a cable that needs to be reconnected."

Willow was talking to herself as much as to Tara.

"Now, if I can just grab the end of it, there seems to be a loop. Tara can you hold these wires to the side while I get hold of the end of it?"

They worked mostly in silence for the next fifteen minutes while Willow tried to retrieve the cable to loop it around the servomechanism.

"Okay, this isn't working." Willow was starting to get frustrated.

"Anything else I can do?"

"Umm. Okay let's try this. See if you can bend the leg at the knee, bring the heel up as close to her butt as you can."

Tara tried picking up the leg but was having trouble. "I didn't realize how heavy her leg would be."

"Well, it is mostly steel struts and cables and all."

Eventually she got the leg up.

"Okay, that's almost it. Now I need you to bring the knee up close to her chest."

"Stirrups would be nice to have right about now," Tara said as she struggled with the weight of the bot's leg.

Just at that moment Spike and Dawn came in through the back door.

"Hello!" Spike said, staring wide-eyed at the naked Buffy-bot.

"Spike! Willow!" Dawn yelled out, then used her hand to cover Spike's eyes, who immediately took her hand away.

"Hey, it's not like I haven't seen her naked before." Then in a slow voice he added, "But it _has_ been a while."

Dawn ran into the dining room, grabbed table cloth, and ran back into the kitchen to cover as much of the Buffy-bot as she could without getting in Willow's way.

"Got it!" Willow exclaimed happily as the wayward cable was reattached. "Okay, I think that's all I'm going to do tonight. I'll sew her up her hip tomorrow, and then see what I can do to fix her shoulder. So, how did the Slayer spy-fest go?"

"It went fine, until the crystal died," Dawn answered, holding it out.

"What? It shouldn't have."

Willow took the crystal from her, turning it over and over in her hand, rubbing it gently.

"You're right, it's dead. A counter spell must have deactivated it."

"How could that happen?"

"A stronger one could do it. I really didn't think about that happening, so I didn't make the spell that resilient. Makes me wonder. So, other than this, how did things go?"

Spike and Dawn spent the next half hour describing the artistic Slaying techniques of Mary and Marie.

"Well, considering their delicate looks, I can see how they would fight like that," Willow finally said. "Dawn, I think it's well past your bedtime, so…."

"I know. And I am kind of sleepy." Dawn gave Spike a quick hug. "Thanks for taking me."

She then hugged and kissed Willow and Tara on the cheeks, touched the Buffy-bot on the shoulder, then went upstairs to bed.

Just as soon as Spike heard Dawn's bedroom door close, he turned on Willow.

"What the bloody **_hell_** were you thinking?"

"What?" Willow asked in a confused voice.

"Little Bit told me you were going to bring Buffy back from the dead. Have you lost your sodding sanity?"

"We didn't do it!" Willow said defensively.

"Bloody witches," Spike grumbled. "Thinking you're all-powerful. Playing around with forces you barely understand, and can control even less."

"I said we didn't do it! So get off it already!"

"Umm, guys," Tara interrupted. "It's really late, and we're all tired. So how about if we just go to bed?"

Both Willow and Spike calmed down a little. He shook his head, turned toward the cellar door, then turned back. "I miss her too, you know."

"I know," Willow conceded.

The next morning Willow was up early, working on Buffy-bot's shoulder. Dawn was up next.

"How's it going?"

"Not too bad. There was more damage to her shoulder than her hip. I can fix it up, mostly. It won't be a hundred percent, but close."

"Are you still going to go to school with me Monday?"

"I wish I could, but Tara and I have to sign up for classes. So – it looks like the Buffy-bot's going to have to go instead."

"Do you think that will work?"

"I think so. I hope so. Of course we'll have to give her specific instructions about what not to talk about."

The next morning they walked into the kitchen to find the Buffy-bot was already busy, and had used up all the bread making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Dawn's lunch.

"Maybe we can freeze them," Willow suggested.

An hour later, Dawn and the Buffy-bot left for Dawn's first day at school.

"You kids be good now," Willow said nervously as she watched Dawn and the Buffy-bot walk down the sidewalk to the school. And then Willow and Tara got dressed and left to sign up for their classes.

Later that evening Dawn was summing up their day at school:

"I just knew she couldn't sit there and be quiet, just for a little while, you know?  But no! First she stands up and tells everybody that school is for learning. DUH! How dumb is THAT! And then she says she made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for my lunch. I was mortified!"

"That doesn't sound so bad," Willow answered. "She didn't say anything she shouldn't have, did she?"

"No, thank god. Imagine having to explain about slaying vampires and demons. They'd lock me up like I was some kind of looney!"

"Anything else?"

"My homeroom teacher, Ms. Fortenbury, was like, 'Your sister's an example to us all.' It's like she wanted to make it National Saint Buffy Day or something."

"Well, at least that went well," Willow said, relieved.

 


	10. A Return Visit

**Chapter Ten**

**A Return Visit**

Willow was having a relaxing morning: Dawn was at school, Tara had an early class, Spike was asleep in the cellar, the Buffy-bot was repaired, fully charged, and was in standby mode. And Willow's first class of the day wasn't for three more hours.

She was having a relaxing morning when the doorbell rang. Opening it she was surprised to see Giles there, and he was alone.

"Hey. Didn't expect to see you again so soon. Come on in."

Giles followed her into the living room and took the chair. Willow parked on the sofa, her feet tucked under her. She didn't offer him anything to eat or drink.

"What's up?"

And in his usual manner, Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them with a handkerchief; Willow knew he was about to say something unpleasant. He waited until he put them back on his nose before he spoke.

"I am well aware that Spike and Dawn have been shadowing Mary and Marie as they patrol the cemeteries and streets of Sunnydale. And it HAS to stop!"

"One night, that's all, right after you guys showed up. But we were just curious, that's all."

"No, not just one night. It has been going on every night since we arrived."

"That can't be. You must be mistaken."

"I can assure you, I am not."

"Then they've been sneaking out after Tara and I have gone to bed. But if that's the case, then I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. I will certainly read Dawn the Riot Act."

"And what about Spike?"

"I think he can take care of himself. And I did do a protection spell."

"Which will do him absolutely no good. Nor will the one for Dawn."

"What are you saying?"

"Why do you think the crystal went black? Mary and Marie let Spike and Dawn follow them only so long, then they cast the counter-spell to kill it."

"I don't understand. Are they Slayers, or witches?"

"Both. You see, the Council has forged an alliance with a coven of very powerful witches located in Devon. And considering the evil forces they are about to face, they were imbued with certain magicks the Council deemed necessary to overcome and defeat this enemy. So you see, as powerful as you may think you are, your limited abilities are no match for the two of them. And if necessary, they can call on the coven to reinforce their magicks."

Willow was at a loss for words. She was angry that Giles so easily dismissed her magical skills, which she considered as being far above average. But at the same time, she appreciated that he was giving them fair warning not to cross the Slayers. And for giving her information that might prove useful later on.

"So you're saying they are the ultimate Slayers – that they can never be defeated; never be killed?"

"Not in so many words. But between the two of them, I doubt that anything the Hellmouth can spawn will long stand against them."

"So this Big Evil is coming out of the Hellmouth." It wasn't a question.

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"You know, I don't understand this attitude of yours. We fought alongside Buffy for five years. We helped defeat the mayor. We joined our essences against Adam. And we teamed up to help fight Glory. And now you want to cut us out? Did it ever occur to you that we might be able to help?"

"Willow, believe me, no one appreciates everyone's  dedication, and sacrifices, more than I. But this decision comes directly from the Council. As far as they are concerned, all of you are little more than experienced civilians. The Slayers are the professionals. It is their lives the Council is willing to risk, not yours."

"And just when did you get so lovey-dovey with the Council?"

"Since Mary and Marie were endowed with limited telepathic powers. They are willing to go along with what I believe to be the best course of action, but their loyalty lies firmly with the Council. Trust me when I say they will not hesitate to report any deviation from the Council's directives, real or perceived, to Quentin Travers himself."

"Gosh, if I didn't know better, I'd think somebody was on probation."

Giles didn't answer, but from the look on his face, Willow knew she struck a nerve. But not wanting him to leave before she found out everything she could, she changed the subject.

"So – just what kind of telepathic powers do they have?"

"Well, obviously, between them it is one hundred percent. What one thinks, the other knows."

"I kinda figured that out."

"But when it comes to actually reading other people's thoughts, they are mostly limited to being aware of the auras of others around them, and to reading emotions. Particularly when there are inconsistencies in what one may say and what one is thinking."

"In other words, they can tell when somebody's lying."

"In a nutshell, yes. Also, when we were here before, they were cognizant that either you or Tara were attempting to touch their minds. But they suspect it was you."

"Actually, it was both of us. I'm not so much into the wait-and-see. I want to find out things right away. So I'm sometimes kind of pushy. But Tara is more subtle, more patient. She just waits until the information she wants comes to her."

"I see. "

And changing the subject again, she asked, "Do you think they would actually go after Spike, and kill him?"

"Spike is very much a concern. On the one hand, they realize that the device implanted in his brain keeps him from killing. But what if the device stopped working, or malfunctioned?"

"Don't you think all of us have had that very same thought at one time or another? We have. But we trust that if he was able to – function again, the feelings he has for us would keep him from killing us."

"But even if that were so – would it prevent him from feeding on random strangers?"

Willow had no answer for him.

At this point Giles stood up. "I should go."

"You won't get in any trouble, will you, telling me all this?"

"No. I've said nothing that would compromise the upcoming confrontation. So, tell the others I said hello, and at the risk of repetition, stay safe."

"See? I don't understand. How are we supposed to…? Never mind."

Just as Giles got to the front door, Willow stopped him.

"Giles, I need to know – can we trust you?"

"Willow, you can rest assured that I would never let harm come to you – to any of you. You have my word."

"Okay. That makes me feel a little better. And thanks for coming by and giving us the heads up."

As Willow closed the door, she said without turning around, "You heard?"

"Yeah," Spike answered. "I heard. Most of it anyway."

Then Willow turned around and yelled at him, "What the HELL were you thinking? Sneaking Dawn out after we went to bed?"

"I didn't sneak her out. I would go out, and there she was. What was I supposed to do – let her go wandering off by herself?"

"How about marching her ass back here to this house?"

"Oh. Yeah. I suppose I could have done that."

"Well, it stops now. If I have to put a protective bubble around this house before I go to bed, I'll do just that. But Dawn stays in at night. In fact, it might not be a bad idea for you to stay in for a while, maybe a couple of days, or a week."

"Oh, right! I'll sleep all day, and then – oh, I'll sleep all night? I do have an un-life outside this house, you know."

"I suppose I can't make you stay here if you don't want to. No. Wait. Yes I can … but I won't. But if you  know what's good for you you'll give the platinum twins a wide berth."

Willow looked at the clock. "It's still early, but I think I'm going to the college and catch Tara before my first class and let her know what Giles said. When Dawn gets home from school you  can tell her there WILL be a conversation about her sneaking out."

"I'll tell her."

As Willow climbed the stairs to get dressed, Spike touched the side of his head where the chip produced the blinding pain, and wondered just what WOULD happen if it stopped working?

 


	11. Trust Me

**Chapter Eleven**

**Trust Me**

"I don't trust him. Why don’t I trust him? He's Giles. I should trust him. Why don’t I trust him?"

Tara and Willow were sitting at the Expresso Pump waiting for Willow's first class of the day.

"Well, he hasn't been especially forthcoming about this new evil," Tara said. "But you do have to give him credit for coming to you like he did. Do you think he was lying?"

"No. I was subtle girl. He had no idea I was flirting around his aura. Unless he was able to project a false impression about what he was thinking. I keep wondering, what if the coven also gave him some power?"

"Like the ability to inhibit your flirtations?"

"That's what I keep wondering."

Willow was silent for a while. Tara could see by the look on her face she was thinking, and Tara knew the look – Willow was hatching some kind of plan, and that didn't always bode well.

"Okay," Tara said. "Spill."

"What?"

"Don't 'what?' me. I know you, Will. And I know you've got some kind of devious little something rattling around in that devious little brain of yours." Despite trying to be serious. Tara couldn't help but smile.

"I was just thinking about a test. Just to see what kind of magicks they have."

"I-is that such a g-good idea?" Tara suddenly became concerned; her stuttering was a dead give-away. She only stuttered when she was stressed.

"Sure it is."

"B-but if they're as powerful as Mr. Giles said, it c-could be dangerous, don't you think?"

"Maybe. But if I'm careful and construct the test just right, they'll never know what hit them."

"Okay. N-now you're scaring me."

"It'll be okay. Trust me."

"S-speaking of trust, what are you going to do about Dawn?"

"Talk to her. And hope she'll understand how dangerous sneaking out at night is."

"Maybe if you tell her the protective spell she knows about doesn't work anymore."

"She knows. But she also knows Spike will protect her. I told him if I had to, I'd put a protective bubble around the house. And that's what I'm going to tell Dawn. Maybe that will keep her in."

"But just as soon as you fall asleep it will disappear."

"I know that. And you know that. But Dawn doesn't, and Spike doesn't. Other than putting her between us in our bed I don't know what else to do. I told Spike to let her know she was going to catch it when we get home. Maybe that will help."

Willow glanced down at her wristwatch. "Anyway, I guess we should get to our classes. Meet here afterward?"

"Oh, my class was canceled. The professor decided to take a 'sick day'. I think she has a new girlfriend. I've seen them together a few times around campus, and they seemed to be getting kind of cozy."

"So meet you at  home?"

"Actually I was going to the magic shop. Anya said she had some new and exotic crystals that just came in. So why don't you meet me there and then we'll go home?"

"Magic shop it is."

After a quick peck on the lips the two left for their separate destinations. Tara was a block from the Magic Box when Giles called out to her.

"M-Mr. Giles. I didn't expect to see you. Is everything all right?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"I d-don't understand."

"It's Willow. I'm worried about her."

"Worried? Is she in some kind of t-trouble?"

"Not at the moment, but I think she's about to do something incredibly stupid that may jeopardize her well-being."

"Do something? She's going to do something?"

"I believe she is."

"What is she going to do?"

"I have reason to believe she intends to challenge the magicks Mary and Marie possess."

"Why do you think that?"

"Call it a – gut feeling, to put it in laymen's terms. I was at the house earlier today, and during my conversation with Willow, I felt as if she was scanning me, or attempting to. And there was this – background emotion of defiance. I realize it was fleeting, barely perceptible, but it was there, nevertheless."

"W-what do you want from me?"

"I need you to talk to her, to impress upon her in the strongest terms that Mary and Marie are NOT to be challenged! Nor are they to be underestimated. Trust me when I say, their tolerance is much less than mine. All my years as Buffy's Watcher taught me that a certain degree of patience is necessary. But their youth and their desire to fight the good fight make them much less accepting of outside interference."

"I-I'll be sure to tell her."

Giles smiled as if he knew it would do no good, then he turned and walked away, leaving Tara more worried now than before.

When the bell on the door rang as Tara entered the Magic Box, Anya sang out loudly, "Welcome, Paying Customer. Did you being lots of mon…?"

But when she saw it was Tara, her enthusiasm died. "Oh. Hello, Tara. Did you bring any money at all?"

Ignoring the question, Tara asked, "Was Mr. Giles just in here?"

"Yes he was. And I must say, he was being very annoying. He came in here like he still owns everything! He just HAD to look at the cash receipts, and the credit card receipts, and the invoices, and the inventory sheets, and the…."

"Did he say anything about Willow?" Tara interrupted.

"…It's like he doesn't trust me! What? Willow? Oh. Yes, he did."

Anya held up a neatly typewritten sheet of paper, with over half the page filled with book titles.

"He said I was to lock these away, and not to let Willow have them under any circumstances."

"Did he say why?"

"Something about her not having access to magicks she's not ready for."

"Anything else?"

"No. He just said he has his reasons. He said I should trust his judgment. Then he left."

"Is that an Aqua Aura Quartz?" Tara asked as she spotted the teal colored crystal.

"Yes, it most certainly is," Anya replied, her mood suddenly lifted. "And I can give it to you at a most attractive price. Almost at cost, plus a paltry thirty five percent markup, for overhead expenses."

 


	12. The End

**Chapter Twelve**

**The End**

"Okay, something weird's going on." Willow said as she hung up the phone.

"Weird how?" Tara asked.

"I just talked to Wesley. You know that freak blizzard that hit England? Well, the temperature jumped up forty degrees, and now there are torrential rains. And add that to the melting snow, and not only are roads being washed out, but power lines as well. No one has electricity, and no calls are getting in or out. You know, we really should be paying more attention to the weather reports."

"So we still don't know if Giles and the Slayers are legitimate?"

"Nope."

"What should we do?"

"We need to talk to Giles again. And without you know who – who's, around. I sure wish we knew how to get in touch with him. But we don't even know where he's staying."

"Maybe a locator spell? I mean, we know his essence. Maybe we can, I don't know, blanket Sunnydale?"

"That's not a bad idea. With both of us, it might work."

"What might work?" Dawn just walked into the kitchen.

"Trying to find Giles' aura with both of us combining ours."

"Can I help?"

"I don't know how."

"You'd think that with all  that green mystical energy I had in me, there would be some of it left over."

"I think it was all used up opening the portal."

"See? I don't understand that. If it was so powerful it could tear open dimensions, but all it took was a few drops of blood, shouldn't there be some – somewhere?"

Willow gave Dawn a helpless smile.  "Well, if it's there, it's buried so deep…. You know?"

"I guess now I know how Xander feels. Everybody has super powers but us."

"Anya," Willow pointed out.

"Yeah, but she did. And she knows all about demons and dimensions and stuff."

"But you do know you're important to us, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess." Dawn sighed in resignation. "Can I watch? I'll be quiet."

"Sure you can, Dawny," Tara told her. "You can be our lookout."

Dawn nodded at the condescending attempt to make her feel included.

"The dining room?" Tara asked.

"How about the dining room table?" Willow countered.

"I'll clean it off!" Dawn volunteered, then rushed in to do it.

"So what do we do after we find him?"

Willow hesitated, then slowly shook her head. "Go to wherever he's staying, hope he's alone, talk to him, see what's really going on."

"Maybe you guys should wait until after dark," Dawn said, coming back into the kitchen. "Maybe the platinum twins will be patrolling."

"Great idea, Dawn." Tara smiled. "See? You _can_ help."

Dawn shrugged and smiled.

 

The two witches sat in the middle of the table cross-legged, knees touching, holding hands.

"You guys don't need candles or incense or anything?"

"No," Willow replied. "Just concentration, and quiet."

"Quiet as a mouse."

Several minutes later they got off the table.

"So?" Dawn asked. "Anything?"

"Something," Willow answered. "As far as we can tell, they're at that rat infested Sunnydale Arms, of all places."

"I thought they closed it down because of all of the – rats, and roaches," Dawn said.

"Then what better place to hide out in?" Willow reasoned.

"They probably made it better," Tara said. "I would."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Okay, we have a location. So, right after dark, we'll go over there to see Giles."

"And Spike?" Tara asked. "Should we take Spike?"

"Couldn't hurt."

"What about me?" Dawn asked. "Can I go?"

"No, but how about if I call Xander? I'm sure he wouldn't mind coming over for  a while."

"Sure. Xander's fine." Dawn was disappointed, but knew arguing would be pointless.

Right at sunset Willow and Tara left the house, assuring Dawn they would be back in a couple of hours, that Xander was on his way, and instructed her to lock the door, and not to let anyone in she didn't know.

While waiting for Xander, and probably Anya, Dawn went upstairs to see if the Buffy-bot was fully charged. Seeing she was only at 77%, she went back downstairs and decided to watch TV in the living room, and to keep an eye out for Willow and Tara to return. An hour later she got hungry and went into the kitchen to fix a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Finishing that, she took a quick shower and went back to the kitchen for a dessert of ice cream.

But before she could dish it from the carton she heard a loud banging on the back door and Willow yelling to her, "Dawn! Unlock the door! Hurry!"

Dawn raced to the door and quickly unlocked it. Spike and Willow were half-carrying a very beaten up Giles. Tara was behind them. Spike helped lay Giles on the kitchen counter as Tara put a folded dish towel under his head.

But just as soon as Dawn shut the door, it was kicked open and one of the twins ran inside.

"Dawn!" Willow screamed again. "Your necklace, it's charmed! You're protected!"

Dawn, understanding, ran at the Slayer, hitting her with both hands in the chest, and the twin was thrown backward out of the door, and into the other that was following behind. Dawn quickly slammed the door and locked it.

"What just happened?" Dawn asked, confused. "How did I do that? You charmed my necklace?"

"I did," Willow replied as she began cleaning blood from Giles' face.

"But the Slayers – how did I…?"

"The protection spell isn't supernatural specific."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means that you are protected from anything, or anyone, who gets their powers supernaturally – demons, vampires, witches…."

"And Slayers?" Tara asked.

"Them too."

Suddenly, the back door was kicked open again and both Slayers ran inside, both carrying the tapered stakes they favored, one in each hand. Immediately one of them slammed hers down on Giles' throat, crushing his windpipe and cutting off his air. She then threw her other one at Dawn. The tip of it went completely through her just inside her  shoulder, the impact slamming her head against the wall and pinning her there. Seconds later the weight of the unconscious Dawn broke off the narrow tip embedded in the wall and she fell to the floor.

The other Slayer was like a whirlwind, spinning with her stakes and striking Tara and Spike repeatedly. Tara dropped to the floor, not even able to use her magic to save herself.

"Thicken!" Willow shouted, temporarily stopping the one who had killed Giles. At that moment, Xander and Anya ran into the kitchen. He grabbed a butcher knife from the counter and swung it at the frozen one, but her sister threw her slender stake, and Xander fell backward as it buried itself in his left eye socket all the way to the back of his skull.

Both Slayers turned to Willow, who had crossed her arms tightly to herself, then shouted as she flung her arms outward, "Arms wide! Make a wall!"

A circle of light left her, and the two Slayers smashed through the kitchen walls to land outside on the ground, dazed and damaged.

"Oh my god!" Willow cried as she ran to the unconscious Dawn. She pulled the spike from her shoulder and tried to stem the bleeding from the front and back at the same time. Anya was on her knees, cradling Xander's head, begging him to wake up, but deep inside knowing he wouldn't come back to her.

Spike went to Willow. "What can I do?"

"I need bandages. Something to stop this bleeding."

"Will she make it?"

"I don't know. There' so much blood! I think an artery was hit. I don't know what to do."

"I could save her – if it wasn't for this bleeding chip!"

Willow looked up at Spike, horrified at the thought, but at the same time not wanting to lose Dawn as well.

There was a silent burst of light that lasted only a fraction of a second, but Willow knew her spell creating the barrier had been countered. The back door flew off its hinges as the door flew inside the kitchen, and once more Mary and Marie Munn rushed in, armed again with spikes in both hands.

Anya looked up at them and was rewarded with a crack across the forehead with one of the spikes. The force of it snapped her head back, breaking her neck.

A second stake, flying so fast he couldn't move out of the way, impaled Spike in the heart, and a fraction of a second later there was only a collapsing outline of dust where he had stood.

Gritting her teeth, Willow steeled herself for the most powerful magical blast she could muster, but before she could unleash it, a shimmering wave of despair and futility washed over her. Realizing what was happening, she fought back against the anguish that had engulfed her. But then a second surge overwhelmed her, reinforcing the hopelessness of the situation.

The twins drew closer for the killing blows, and through the curtain of despondency, Willow was sure their eyes were black, yet glowed somehow.

And her last thought was that they failed! They lost, and the Slayers, the unquestionably evil Slayers had won.

 


	13. "I Came Back"

 

**Chapter Thirteen**

**I Came Back**

"My friends need me! I thought they were alright. I thought they were safe. But they're dying. They need me."

"You do not want to go back. You are finished; you have nothing left to complete. If you go back you will feel as if you are in hell."

"I can't help that. I love my friends. I love Dawn. I have to help them. I can't let them die!"

"If that is your wish. Yours was a mystical death, so I _can_ undo what has been done. But be warned – the only body you can possess is the one you left behind. You will have to break out of your coffin and dig yourself up out of your grave. The trauma will be excruciating. You will be disoriented, confused, weak, and tormented. Your memories of this place will haunt you; make you wonder if you have lost your sanity."

"Then I'll suffer. But I cannot be here, knowing those I love may die when I could prevent it.

"Then **– SO BE IT!** "

Buffy's eyes jerked open, but she saw only blackness. She took a breath, but the air was dank and foul, giving little sustenance. She tried to scream, but no sound came from her. Her hands went up and she felt fabric over padding. Desperately, she scratched at it, ripping it until she felt the hardness of the lid of her casket. She hit at it, with almost no strength in her arms. But panic and fear gave her the power needed. She hit again and again and again, bloodying her knuckles until she broke through, allowing wet, rotted dirt to pour into the opening. She managed to claw her way up toward the surface until her hands broke free and she was able to pull herself onto the grass. Clammy, wet soil was matted in her hair and covered her face and dress.

Buffy lay there, exhausted, until she forced her eyes to open. She looked around in the dim light. But whether it was dawn or sunset she had no way of knowing. She made it to her knees, then to her feet, feeling unsteady, but the weakness _was_ slowly leaving her. She looked around, then saw the headstone in front of her. And in horror she read the inscription:

**BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS**

**1981 – 2001**

**BELOVED SISTER  
DEVOTED FRIEND**

**SHE SAVED THE WORLD  
A LOT**

  
Buffy took several deep breaths, strength returning each time, but she was rooted in the spot, trying to understand the meaning on the headstone. Gradually, it came to her, and then the reason she was here. 

Looking up at the trees around her she saw it was growing darker – the sun was setting. She knew she was in the woods, not the cemetery. And the realization of why came to her – her friends had taken pains to hide her, her grave, to prevent demons and vampires from finding and desecrating it.

She recognized this part of the woods and knew the way back to Sunnydale. By the time she got to the edge of town, it was dark, but the streetlights seemed unusually bright and glaring. It was hard for her to see clearly. It was as if she was trying to look through glass smeared with petroleum jelly.

Slowly she walked through the town until she was at Rovello Drive. Her vision had cleared but she still felt disoriented. At last she came to her house. It seemed as if every window had light coming from it, and for an instant, the thought of an enormous electric bill flashed through her mind -- she  was beginning to come to her senses. She climbed the stairs to the front porch, but didn't go near the door.

 _'How long?'_  she thought. ' _How long have I been gone? Do they still live here?_

Tentatively, she touched the door knob, then tried to turn it. But the door was locked. She raised her hand to knock, but again hesitated. Then taking a breath, she knocked and waited. But there was no answer. She knocked harder, leaving blood from her knuckles on the door.

The third time she knocked, a voice from the other side asked nervously, "Xander? Anya? Is that you?"

"I-it's me," Buffy tried to say, but her voice was low and scratchy. Coughing and clearing her throat again, she said louder, "D-Dawn. It's me. It's Buffy."

There was a long pause, then, "Buffy? Did you say it was Buffy?"

"Yes."

"No! It's a trick! Buffy's gone. She died. I saw her die. You can't tell me it's her."

"Please. Open the door. I – I came back. I'm here."

Buffy heard the deadbolt unlock, and the door opened a crack, just enough to look through.

"Get in the light. Let me see you."

Buffy moved to stand with the much too-bright light on her face. And the door opened more, then all the way. Dawn stood there with her mouth open, wanting it to be the real Buffy, but daring not to believe it.

"Y-you're not the Buffy-bot?" she asked, knowing full well the bot was down in the cellar, being recharged.

"I'm not the – Buffy-bot."

Suddenly she couldn't stand it any longer and Dawn rushed out and threw her arms around Buffy, holding her tighter than she knew she had the strength to do, afraid to let go. Afraid she would go away.

"You're hurting me," Buffy managed to say. "I'm not strong, yet."

Dawn let go and backed away a step, then taking a good look at her, realized she had -- she  must have....

"You're – all dirty. Did you…? You did! You dug yourself out of your…."

"Yeah, I did."

"You're not a zombie, are you?" Dawn's shock was beginning to wear off.

"No, I'm not a zombie. Can I come in? And the lights – they're so bright."

Dawn ran back inside and began turning off most of the lights. Then she helped Buffy climb the stairs, started water running in the shower, and helped her undress. While Buffy was letting the hot water rinse the dirt from her, Dawn went into Buffy's room, Anya's and Xander's when they slept over, and found clean clothes for her. After the shower, and helping her dress, they went back downstairs to the kitchen. All the while, Dawn was afraid to ask Buffy how she came back, but at the same time wanting desperately to know how it happened.

"Are you hungry?" Dawn asked. "Willow bought groceries yesterday, so we have plenty."

"Where is everyone? You don't live here by yourself, do you?"

"No, Willow and Tara live here too. And Spike's been staying in the cellar. We fixed it up for him. They should be back soon. They went to see Giles while the Slayer twins are out patrolling. Oh! The Slayers. You don't know about them. They're new. And they're twins. Identical twins. And they're kinda creepy."

Buffy tried to eat the grilled cheese sandwich and bowl of tomato soup Dawn fixed for her, but nothing had much taste.

"Where… Why are there new Slayers? I thought Faith…."

"That's the bad news. Faith is dead. We think the Council had her killed. They found out you were – you died, and there's some big bad evil coming, and they wanted a new Slayer, not Faith."

"Oh."

"Their names are Mary and Marie Something. They're tall and skinny, and they look like albinos. Giles said some witches in England gave them some witchy powers."

"How long was I – gone?"

"Huh? Oh. All summer. School started this week. The Buffy-bot went with me for Parents' Day. She did okay."

"Is Spike…? You said he was staying in the cellar."

"Yeah. The evil twins said something about killing him 'cause he's a vamp."

Suddenly there was a loud banging at the back door. Buffy jumped up and away from it.

"What is that?"

Then Willow yelled from outside, "Dawn! Open the door! Hurry!"

Dawn raced to the door and quickly unlocked it. Spike and Willow were half-carrying a very beaten up Giles. Tara was behind them. But just as soon as she slammed the door, it was kicked open and one of the twins ran inside. Almost immediately Buffy was there to kick her in the chest and she flew backward out of the door, and into the other that was following behind. Dawn quickly slammed the door again and locked it.

Spike helped lay Giles on the kitchen counter as Tara put a folded dish towel under his head.

As Willow began cleaning blood from Giles' face she said to Dawn, "It was a good thing you brought up the Buffy-bot. But why did you put Buffy's  good clothes on her?"

"Willow, it's not the Buffy-bot. It's the real Buffy. She's here!"

Everyone stopped to look at Buffy, who backed up a step, then she said softly, "I came back. I saw you all were dying, so I came back."

 


	14. Slayer Versus Slayers

 

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Slayer Versus Slayers**

Before anyone could react, once again the back door was kicked open, and this time both Slayers made it inside and they were carrying the long, tapered stakes they favored. One went after Spike, and the other after Buffy.

Buffy didn't hesitate to go on the attack, but her opponent spun away from the punch, and delivered a spinning kick to Buffy's back as she went past, knocking her to the floor. But recovering, from her hands and knees, Buffy used a mule kick to the Slayer's lower abdomen, doubling her over. Buffy grabbed her by her single, long braid and flipped her over onto her back, delivered a quick punch to the face, then picked her up and tossed her out of the door onto the porch.

Spike had grabbed the stake barely in time, but was having trouble controlling her. Willow threw a hand out and a silent red flash of light hit the Slayer's eyes. As she recoiled from the blinding attack, Buffy grabbed her by her arm, threw her face first into the refrigerator, stunning her, then she sailed out the back door into her sister, who was trying to come to her feet.

"Willow!" Buffy yelled. "The Glory spell! The one at the gas station!"

Willow closed her eyes, concentrating, her arms held tightly to herself. Then she shouted as she flung her arms out, "Circling arms, raise a wall!"

A circle of light expanded outward from her, passing through everyone inside. Just in time the sphere of light threw Mary and Marie, who were about to come back in, off the porch and into the back yard. Dawn slammed the door, but the jamb was broken so there was no way to lock it.

"That should hold for a while," Willow said, then turned her attention back to Buffy, Giles forgotten about.

"How…?" she asked, mystified and confused.

"I don't know how, exactly. But I knew everyone was in danger.  All of you were dying. I had to save you."

"She dug herself out of her grave," Dawn said, holding back tears. "Her hands were all bloody and dirty. But she's clean now. And she's back."

Willow left Giles' side and walked to Buffy, hesitated then put her arms around her, and Buffy responded in kind. They held onto each other for half a minute, then separated.

"You have no idea how much we missed you."

Buffy smiled, then went to Giles.

"You've looked better," she said as she touched the side of his face.

"I've felt better."

Buffy looked at Spike. "You've been protecting them?"

Spike nodded his assent. "Doing what I can." And he was rewarded with an appreciative smile.

Buffy then looked at Tara. "Tara. I'm glad you're here."

Before Tara could answer, they heard a car's horn sounding without stopping.

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed. "They were coming over to watch Dawn. The Slayers!"

They all rushed to the front door and could hear breaking glass as the two Slayers were shattering the car's windows to get at Xander and Anya.

"Willow, make a door!" Buffy shouted as she ran out of the front door, not waiting to make sure it was done. But Willow was quick enough and Buffy launched herself off the porch and ran to the street where the car was.

Both Slayers turned to confront her, both wielding the deadly spikes. Buffy ducked under one of them, but was caught in the face by the second so hard it broke in two.  Slowed by the impact, Buffy was stunned enough that the twins  could alternately spin and kick her as if she were a rag doll.

Spike ran out behind Buffy. He tackled one of them, driving her into the side of Xander's car. Buffy then saw that the one who was attacking her faltered for a second, allowing her to deliver an uppercut.

"If you hurt one, it affects the other!" Willow shouted out.

By now Xander and Spike were fighting together, but the Slayer was faster and eluded most of their attempts to hit her, while delivering damaging blows interchangeably to them with her spike. But at the same time she was being slowed as Buffy continued to mete out powerful, nonstop left- and right-hand punches to the face and body of other.

Then it was over.

 One Slayer lay motionless on the ground as the other writhed next to her sister, holding herself and screaming out in agony.

"I-I think I killed her," Buffy said fearfully. She looked at Dawn and Willow, who came out when they saw it was over, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I-I didn't mean to. I couldn't stop hitting her. I…."

Willow put a hand on her shoulder and Buffy turned into her, sobbing  loudly. Dawn joined them, and Buffy's arm went around her as well.

While they were consoling Buffy, Spike and Xander roughly pulled the barely conscious Slayer to her feet and using rope from the car's trunk, tied her hands behind her and dragged her into the house. Half a minute later Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Anya followed. As soon as the Slayer was tied to a dining room chair, Xander and Spike went back outside to get the dead Slayer. They put her on the back porch and covered her with the tarp.

While Willow and Tara went back to tending to Giles, Buffy sat down in a chair in front of the Slayer. Spike stood behind Buffy and Xander stood in the doorway from the kitchen. All were waiting for the Slayer to become lucid enough to interrogate her. But as they waited, her strength slowly ebbed, until she also died. One could not live without the other.

"What now?" Xander asked the room.

"We have to get rid of the bodies," Buffy said slowly. "Tonight."

"But where?"

"The woods. In my grave. It's the only place. And you have to bury the headstone as well."

Both Slayers were wrapped in the tarp, then tied with the rope. And while Spike and Xander took them to be buried, Giles' injuries were finally tended to.

"I assure you," he protested. "My wounds are mostly superficial. Scrapes and bruises."

But Willow and Tara continued to wash and bandage them. Not much was said until Xander and Spike returned two hours later.

"I don't know about you guys," Willow said, "But I could use some sleep."

Everyone agreed. But the sleeping arrangements had to made. They decided to put Giles in Dawn's bed.

"Dawn, you can sleep in our room with us if you want," Tara said.

"Okay. My sleeping bag is in the attic."

Dawn started to go get it then stopped. "Are you sure? I mean, if you guys want to – you know, I can sleep on the sofa."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Willow told her. "I'll be asleep before my head hits the pillow."

Dawn went after her sleeping bag.

"Why don't you guys take my room?" Buffy said to Xander and Anya.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm not that tired. Apparently I was asleep for three months. I'll stay down here. If I get sleepy, I'll lay down on the sofa."

After everyone had settled down, Spike and Buffy were alone.

"Helluva fight," he said, not knowing what to say. "Good thing you showed up when you did. Just HOW did all that happen?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now. Maybe tomorrow. I know everyone has questions."

"Fine. Guess I'll get some sleep myself. I’m in the cellar. Dawn fixed it up for me."

"I know. And – thanks for looking out for her. It means a lot – knowing she's safe."

"Well, if you want to talk, or not, you know where I'll be."

Spike then left for the cellar.

Buffy went to each room and turned off the lights. The darker it was the better she liked it. She then went into the living room and sat down in the easy chair, knowing sleep would not come any time soon, if at all.

 


	15. How Did It All Happen?

 

**Chapter Fifteen**

**How Did It All Happen?**

When Willow, Tara and Dawn went downstairs just after nine the next morning, Buffy and Giles were sitting in the dining room,  cups of tea in front of them. By 9:30 everyone was up and having tea or coffee or milk, and stale coffee cake.

The various conversations were born and died, but no one broached the one thing they wanted to know – How was Buffy able to return from the hell dimension?

Giles, knowing it was information that would come when she was ready, instead tried to explain the last few days.

"I spoke to Quenton Travers earlier this morning, and he said—well, perhaps I should start at the beginning. The information I have also comes from what I was able to glean from Mary and Marie. I suppose they thought there would be no harm in telling me since I was under their – thrall, for lack of a better word."

He cleaned his glasses, again, then began:

"There  frequently is a radical faction in almost every organization. In this case it involved thirteen of the witches in the coven I spoke of previously. They formulated a plan to control the Hellmouth to use its power to try to rule the entire planet. And in doing so, they invoked the darkest and most powerful of magicks  to actually select the next Slayer, or Slayers, in this case. Something the Council had thought quite impossible."

"I bet that Travers guy was licking his chops about THAT," Xander cut in. "Getting to pick and choose whoever he wants to be the next Slayer."

"Quite the contrary. The Council has long believed that the Slayer is chosen when and where she is most needed. For example, in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, it is thought that Xin Rong was selected because it was known that vampires are attracted to the most chaotic of occasions. Spike, I believe you know what I am referring to."

Looking almost embarrassed, Spike said, "Yeah, you're right. Lots of vamps gone wild."

Giles continued. "And of course, Buffy was directed here because the Master was reactivating the Hellmouth, which is still causing no end of problems."

"Directed her how?" Xander cut in.

"By offering Joyce the promising opportunity to run her very own art gallery. And an exceptional bargain on the purchase of this house.  But I digress. The witches' plan  involved convincing the Council that a horrific evil was about to erupt from the Hellmouth, and that Faith could not be trusted to fulfill her sacred duty as Slayer. So the Council was manipulated into have her killed. And the new Slayers who were Chosen -- the twins, was the witches' doing. They then decided that everyone who knew anything about the Hellmouth and its inherent dangers, should be eliminated. So, they chose me as their Watcher. We came to Sunnydale to convince all of you that you no longer were needed, and then one by one, you would be killed."

"Wouldn't that raise some red flags?" Willow asked.

"Not at all. Who would question a random hit and run? Or an apartment or house fire? Or a vampire who just disappeared in the night?"

"But what about Angel, and Cordelia?"

"Oh, I'm quite sure they, too,  were targets. As most likely, was Oz."

"Diabolical!" Xander said. "And it almost worked."

"Yes, it did. But the one thing they hadn't counted on was the suspicious nature, and the bulldog tenacity, of a certain redheaded witch."

"Darn tootin'!" Willow responded with a grin.

"Of course, Buffy's mysterious return was completely unforeseen."

Buffy gave a small, humorless smile, but remained silent.

"So – who beat you up?" Dawn asked.

"Unfortunately, when I chose the abandoned motel as a center of operation I just naturally assumed that Mary and Marie's protection was all that was necessary. After they left to patrol, I was mugged and robbed. And when Willow and Tara and Spike found me and brought me back here, the twins assumed either I had been kidnapped by them, or somehow a way to remove their mental control was found and I betrayed them. In any case, they came after me, precipitating the subsequent altercation."

"So, what about all those evil witches?" Dawn asked. "What happened to them?"

"Of course they have dispersed and gone into hiding. But the Council has dispatched witch hunters to, well, to hunt them down and bring them to justice."

"W-witch hunters? The C-council has w-witch hunters?" Tara asked.

"Oh, yes. They use both humans and warlocks. And the other witches of the coven are helping also. Did you think demons and vampires were the only supernatural beings they monitor?  In any event, everyone seems to be quite embarrassed about the entire situation."

"Well, golly gee!" Xander said in his most sarcastic voice, "I'm sure glad they feel uncomfortable about us being the targets of psycho killer Slayers. Makes ME feel a whole lot better!"

"But what about the blizzard, and the floods? Were they able to control the weather?" Willow asked.

"There was an anomalous snow storm, but it only lasted a day, and then turned to rain. But they used their combined psychic powers create the illusion it was much, much worse than it really was."

"I wonder who the new Slayer will be," Anya said, but no one had an answer. It was here that the conversation flagged and an uncomfortable silence took over.

Finally, Giles said, "Buffy, I know this is something you are disinclined to talk about, but something you said earlier has me quite puzzled."

Buffy looked at him but didn't answer.

"You said you had to return because you saw us dying?"

"I didn't see so much as I – felt, was aware of, knew? I can't explain it, but first it was Faith. I don't know how I knew she died, but I did. And knowing she was a Slayer, I just thought she had – she was killed by a vampire or a demon."

"You didn't know she was still in prison?" Willow asked.

"Time had no meaning where I was. I could have been there for a second, or for an eternity. But after Faith, then there was Giles who was killed, then Xander, Anya, Tara." At this point her eyes began to water and her voice cracked. "Dawn, and then Willow."

"But that never happened!" Willow exclaimed. "You were here. You stopped it!"

"I guess I was sent back before it happened."

"Buffy," Giles said, confusion in his voice, "I must admit I am quite baffled. It is my understanding that hell-gods, such as Glory, never willingly release the souls they torment and torture from their hell dimensions."

For almost half a minute Buffy was silent, trying to find the words, then she softly said, "I wasn't in a hell dimension. I was – I think I was in heaven. Or someplace that felt like heaven."

Stunned, no one knew what to say. This was something none of them had ever considered.

Then Dawn spoke up. "So, if you were in heaven, did you see Mom?"

"I didn't see anyone."

"But she's in heaven, right?  She has to be there! I mean, if anybody deserves to go to heaven, it's Mom."

"You know, Dawn," Anya said, "there are thousands, if not millions of heavenly – heaven-like, dimensions. There could even be a heaven for shrimp."

"She's right," Tara added. "Dawn, honey, as tragic as it was, your mom's passing was – it was natural, not supernatural. But Buffy's wasn't a natural death. So they probably went to different heavens."

"But Mom IS in heaven!"

"Of course she is. I'm sure when the heaven she went to was created, her name was at the top of the list of who to let in."

Dawn knew Tara was just trying to console her, but she  still appreciated it, and loved her even more for it.

Then in the same soft voice, Buffy said, almost to herself. "I love you all. I had to come back to save you. I couldn't let you die." She then took a tired, almost painful breath, and continued. "I was told it would be like this."

"What would be like what?"

"Being here – in this room, in this house, in this – life.  I'm in Hell."

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, no doubt there is someone out there wondering what happened to the demon motorcycle gang that came to Sunnydale and almost interrupted Willow as she was resurrecting Buffy.
> 
> But in this story, the Buffy-bot never patrolled alone, so the secret that Buffy was dead was never found out.


End file.
